Lesson 4: Configuring Internet Explorer Security Options

Lesson 4:?Configuring Internet Explorer Security Options

Internet options allow you to configure Internet Explorer 6.0. You can specify the first Web page you see when you start Internet Explorer, delete temporary Internet files stored on your computer, use Content Advisor to block access to objectionable materials, and set your security level. This lesson introduces you to configuring Internet options.

After this lesson, you will be able to

Configure Internet options

Estimated lesson time: 40 minutes

Using Internet Options

To access Internet options, you would do the following:

Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

Click Network And Internet Connections, and then click Internet Options.

Using the General Tab

The Home Page section in the General tab of the Internet Properties dialog box allows you to change the page you use for your home page, the page you see each time you start Internet Explorer. This is also the page you are returned to each time you click the Home icon on the toolbar.

The Temporary Internet Files section in the General tab allows you to delete all cookies and temporary Internet files stored on your computer. A cookie is a file created by a Web site that stores information about you on your computer. To delete all the cookies stored on your computer, click Delete Cookies. Windows XP Professional displays a Delete Cookies message box for you to confirm that you want to delete all the cookies stored on your computer. Click OK to delete all the cookies or click Cancel to leave the cookies stored on your computer. A temporary Internet file is a file downloaded from a Web site on the Internet to decrease your access time to the Web site the next time you view it. To delete all temporary Internet files on your computer, click Delete Files. A message box will be displayed for you to confirm that you want to delete all temporary Internet files on your computer. The Delete All Offline Content checkbox allows you to delete any sites you have configured to be available offline. Click OK to delete all the temporary Internet files on your computer. Click Settings to specify when your system should check for newer versions of stored files and the size and location of the folder that stores these temporary files.

The History section allows you to specify the length of time links to pages you have visited are kept and to clear all saved links. The General tab also allows you to configure the colors, fonts, languages, and accessibility options used.

Using the Security Tab

The Security tab of the Internet Properties dialog box allows you to assign Web sites into zones, so you can customize the security for each zone. The first zone is the Internet, which contains all Web sites not assigned to another zone (see Figure 13.9).

Figure 13.9??The Security tab of the Internet Properties dialog box

The second zone is for your local intranet. The third zone is for trusted sites, and the fourth zone is for restricted sites. To add Web sites to any of these zones, click the zone and then click Sites.

The Security Level For This Zone section allows you to customize the security settings for each zone. To customize a zone's security level, click the zone and then click Custom Level. Windows XP Professional displays the Security Settings dialog box (see Figure 13.10).

The Security Settings dialog box allows you to control what gets loaded onto your computer from the Internet. For example, for Download Signed ActiveX Controls you can choose one of the following three options:

Enable.??? Allows you to download signed ActiveX controls

Disable.???Disables the downloading of ActiveX controls

Prompt.???Prompts you so that you can determine whether or not you want to download ActiveX controls

Figure 13.10??The Security Settings dialog box

Other settings on the Security Settings dialog box include the following:

File Download

Font Download

Access Data Sources Across Domains

Allow META REFRESH

Display Mixed Content

Don't Prompt For Client Certificate Selection When No Certificates Or Only One Certificate Exists

Drag And Drop Or Copy And Paste Files

Installation Of Desktop Items

Launching Programs And Files In An IFRAME

Navigate Subframes Across Different Domains

Submit Nonencrypted Form Data

User Data Persistence

Active Scripting

Allow Paste Operations Via Script

Scripting Of Java Applets

User Authentication Logon

Internet Explorer 6.0 and Windows XP Professional do not contain the Sun Microsystems Java Virtual Machine (JVM). The first time you connect to a Web site that requires JVM support, you must download JVM.

One other setting located in the Security Settings dialog box is Software Channel Permissions. The options you can set for it are as follows:

Low Safety.??Allows software to be automatically downloaded and installed from software distribution channels without prompting

Medium Safety.??Allows the automatic downloading of software from a software distribution channel without prompting, but does not allow automatic installation of the software

High Safety.??Allows automatic notification, but not automatic downloading or installing of software from software distribution channels

Using the Privacy Tab

The Privacy tab allows you to determine how cookies are handled on your computer for all Web sites in the Internet zone. Table 13.5 explains the available privacy settings.

Table 13.5??Privacy Tab Settings

You can also click Advanced to override automatic cookie handling and manually define whether to accept, block, or prompt first-party and third-party cookies.

Using the Content Tab

The Content tab gives you access to the Content Advisor, which allows you to control what can be viewed on the Internet. This is a valuable tool for parents who want to protect their children from areas of the Internet suitable only for adults. You can control access based on language, nudity, sex, and violence. You can also create a list of Web sites that are always viewable or never viewable, no matter how they are rated.

The Connections tab helps you set up an Internet connection and the Programs tab allows you to specify which program Windows XP Professional automatically uses for each Internet service.

Using the Advanced Tab

The Advanced tab allows you to fine-tune accessibility, browsing, HTTP 1.1 settings, multimedia functionality, and security. Accessibility provides the following two check boxes:

Always Expand ALT Text For Images.??Specifies whether the image size should expand to fit all of the alternate text when the Show Pictures text box is cleared.

Move System Caret With Focus/Selection Changes.??Specifies whether to move the system caret whenever the focus or selection changes. Some accessibility aids, such as screen readers or screen magnifiers, use the system caret to determine which area of the screen to read or magnify.

Browsing provides many options that allow control browsing, including the following check boxes:

Always Send URLs As UTF-8.??Specifies whether to use UTF-8, a standard that defines characters so they are readable in any language. This enables you to exchange Internet addresses (URLs) that contain characters from another language. This option is selected by default.

Enable Folder View For FTP Sites.??Specifies that FTP sites be shown in folder view. This feature might not work with certain types of proxy connections. If you clear this check box, FTP sites will display their contents in a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)-based layout. This option is selected by default.

Enable Install On Demand (Other).??Specifies to automatically download and install Web components if a Web page needs them to display the page properly or perform a particular task. This option is selected by default.

The HTTP 1.1 settings allow you to specify whether you want to use HTTP 1.1. Many Web sites still use HTTP 1.0, so if you are having difficulties connecting to some Web sites, you might not want to use HTTP 1.1.

The Multimedia section provides many options including the following check boxes:

Play Animations In Web Pages.??Specifies whether animations can play when pages are displayed. Pages that contain animations display very slowly. To display pages faster, clear this check box. You can still play an individual animation even when this check box is not selected if you right-click the icon that represents the animation and then click Show Picture. This option is selected by default.

Play Sounds In Web Pages.??Specifies whether music and other sounds can play when pages are displayed. Some pages that contain sounds download very slowly. Clear this check box to speed up the downloading of these pages. If RealNetworks RealAudio is installed or if a video clip is playing, some sounds might play even though you cleared this check box. This option is selected by default.

Show Pictures.??Specifies whether graphical images should be included when pages are displayed. Pages that contain several graphical images can display very slowly. Clear this check box to speed up the downloading of these pages. You can still view an individual image even when this check box is not selected if you right-click the icon that represents the graphic and then click Show Picture. This option is selected by default.

The Printing settings allow you to specify whether you want to print background colors and images.

The Security section provides many options including the following check boxes:

Empty Temporary Internet Files Folder When Browser Is Closed.?? Specifies whether you want to empty the Internet Temporary Files folder when the browser is closed. This option is not selected by default.

Use SSL 2.0.??Controls whether you want to send and receive secured information through Secure Sockets Layer Level 2 (SSL 2.0), the standard protocol for secure transmissions. All Web sites support this protocol. This option is selected by default.

Use SSL 3.0.??Specifies whether you want to send and receive secured information through Secure Sockets Layer Level 3 (SSL 3.0), which is designed to be more secure than SSL 2.0. Some Web sites might not support SSL 3.0. This option is selected by default.

Warn About Invalid Site Certificates.??Specifies whether Internet Explorer should warn you if the address (URL) in a Web site's security certificate is not valid. This option is selected by default.

Warn If Changing Between Secure And Not Secure Mode.??Specifies whether Internet Explorer should warn you if you are switching between Internet sites that are secure and sites that are not secure.

For information about any of the other check boxes located in the Advanced tab of the Internet Properties dialog box, click on the question mark in the upper right corner of the dialog box and then click the check box.

Lesson Review

The following questions will help you determine whether you have learned enough to move on to the next lesson. If you have difficulty answering these questions, please go back and review the material in this lesson before beginning the next chapter. The answers are in Appendix A, "Questions and Answers."

What is a cookie? How can you delete all the cookies that are stored on your computer?

How can you control which cookies are stored on your computer?

As a concerned parent, how can you help protect your children from adult material found on the Internet?

How can you speed up the downloading of pages?

How can you have the Internet Temporary Files folder emptied each time you close your browser?

Lesson Summary

To access the Internet Options dialog box, in Control Panel, click Network And Internet Connections, and then click Internet Options.

The Home Page section in the General tab of the Internet Properties dialog box allows you to change the page you use for your home page.

The Temporary Internet Files section in the General tab of the Internet Properties dialog box allows you to delete all cookies and temporary Internet files stored on your computer.

The General tab also allows you to configure the colors, fonts, languages, and accessibility options used and to specify the length of time links to pages you have visited are stored.

The Security tab of the Internet Properties dialog box allows you to assign Web sites into zones, so you can customize the security for each zone.

Internet Explorer 6.0 and Windows XP Professional do not contain the Sun Microsystems Java Virtual Machine (JVM); the first time you connect to a Web site that requires JVM support, you must download JVM.

The Privacy tab allows you to determine how cookies will be handled on your computer for all Web sites in the Internet zone.

The Content tab gives you access to the Content Advisor, which allows parents to protect their children from areas of the Internet suitable only for adults.